Paths to sainthood

Simon Western reflects on the fast-tracking of a saint in an increasingly secular world

by Simon Western 18th July 2014

The path to sainthood for John Paul II was the fastest in modern history, raising eyebrows among traditionalists for packing a painstaking process that can sometimes take centuries into nine incredibly short years.

Whether John Paul II should or shouldn’t be a saint isn’t the issue I am addressing here. This article addresses the question of why the Catholic Church has fast-tracked this process and the social meaning it reveals.